Welcome to:

Fox Chapel Area School District

Transition to PA Common Core English Language Arts/ELA &

Common Core Literacy Standards in Content Area

    • FCASD Secondary Administrative Team Seminar Agenda; 8/10/12

Overview:


A closer look at overriding themes & integration with differentiated instruction

Recognizing Rigor

Pedagogical shifts in practice - areas of emphasis:

  • Metacognition and Student Self-Regulation of learning
    • Teacher modeling strategies leading students to self-monitoring/evaluation.
    • Key to the Common Core Literacy Standards is students' acquisition of strategies that assist with their "learning about their own learning" (e.g., meta-memory, meta-comprehension, self-regulation).
      • Small group activity: Discuss ways in which explicit attention can be directed to students' meta-cognitive development and how routine integration of these practices can be fostered.
  • Vocabulary Development- idea whole district, cross curricular coordination to:
    • Tier I (basic), II (frequently used words in texts supporting conceptual understanding), III (uncommon words usually affiliated with a particular subject).
  • Balance of literary fiction and informational text
  • Text Complexity
  • Opinion/Argument
  • Citing text
  • Evidence to support claims
  • Authentic learning experiences leading students deep engagement in communications, creative, collaborative & critical thinking (e.g., project-based learning)

Resources - Key Links

FCASD Secondary Program CC Transition Process Timeline


  • Planning Guides - Department Illustration
  • Sample June 2012 in-service department activity using Planning Guides:
    • Exploring the Common Core (Content Area) Literacy Standards - Planning Guide (~ 3-4 hrs.)
      • Review standards and begin to take notes to understand standards, assess whether or not standards are met within common course grade level bands, and collaborate lesson refinement to meet Common Core Literacy Standards.
        • As a Common Course Team: Use the expanding note box to indicate team's collaboration.
          • Interpret Common Core Literacy Standards; put in own words through Common Course discussion (place interpretation in notation box under standard).
          • Discuss and make notations (Common Course) to whether or not standards are met (Y, N, or ? coding) .
          • Discuss and make notations to existing exemplar lessons that meet standards (make reference in notation box under standard).
          • Summary notes: discussion highlights, bullet point ideas, next step within text box at the end of two sections of the planning guide (common course or as whole department).
          • Discuss and make notations to whether or not curriculum meet standards (department discussion).
            • Identify 3-5 standards as Growth Areas - enter these on chart on the last page - begin planning for how those might be addressed (starting with a first unit within a course) ... complete this as course team and/or whole department.

Reminder - June 2012 Agenda:

  • The transition to the Common Core Literacy Standards will occur over a few school years. While striving to meet the Common Core (CC) expectations, particular attention should be directed towards those standards that are identified by a department as currently not being met and is aligned with the course’s content. Honing instructional practices related to those standards that are identified as being met, should also occur on an ongoing basis. The intent is for the CC standards to be integrated as part of instructional delivery (pedagogy). Select standards that a course team and department identify as areas of concentration to assist with the CC transition.

Curriculum (writing) Refinements


  • CC Transition Planning Guides and access to other documents - Google Docs storage
  • CMS - current status and next steps

Standardized Assessment & Related


  • PARC/SMARTER BALANCE - consortia
  • Keystones, PSSAs Update
  • Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDTs)

Resources - Instructional (teaching/learning) tools


  • Reading Comprehension Resources








  • Writing Strategies Resources



  • Metacognitive Thinking Strategies Resources
















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